Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-04-08

tain Wnetner 1t would cOmetO the meet
ing. While he was speaking it came in and
was received with great cheering. The
speaker said "I'm glad to see you In old
times they used to get $1,000 for US and
now they only want to pay 81. I'm glad
you didn't sell out" Hector told why he
adopted the Prohibition work. He SAID
ChaG he was once fireman on a railroad
IN New York and wrecked a train by his
drunkenness. While they were digging
MIN out he resolved never to cease to war
on whiskey and he had kept his word. He
Is engaged in all the Prohibition fights
now and made the closing speech at Char
lottesVllle in the fight there. The first
public meeting of the Vets was addressed
at their headquarters by Col. W. T. Pledg-
er. colored, of Georgia, who was 1t. Col
onel in coIored regiment during the civil
war, and is an effective and well posted
orator.
After the ice was broken, many speakers
engaged in the fight on either side. On the
Dry side those who spoke during the pub
lie meetings were Rev. J. II. Hector,
(col.); Prof. Vassar, (col.), of Richmond;
Mr.. Gray of Loudoun; Maj. Jed. Hotch-
kiss, Stonewall Jackson's Typographical
Engineer; Rev. DR.. Halves, Of the Second
Presbyterian church; Rev J. S. Gardner,
of the Methodist church; Rev. DIR. Mel
son. Of the Baptist church, and others;
and those who spoke on the Wet side were
Col. W. L. Pedger. (col.); Prof. Henry
Cash, (col.); Ex-Collector W. E. Craig;
Capt. James Bumgardner. and Capt.
Charles Grattan. One of the most effective
white speakers on the Dry side was Chief
Tempiar Miller of the Good Templars,
who came to Virginia during the war as
member Of the Louisiana Tigers. The
meetings of both sides were we'll attended
by both whites and blacks, though those
of the Drys were by far the largest.
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE VOTE.
Staunton was alive on Monday night.
The Courthouse yard sparkled with Chi
nese lanterns and the enclosure was
crowded with white and black. The crowd,
though of Vets, was pretty dry, for all
the saloons and liquor houses had, by
agreement. closed up their places at
O'Clock in the afternoon, in order to re-
move any chance Of disorder. The speak
ers that night were Capt. James Bum
gardner, Jr.. W. E. Craig, and Charles
Grattan. A rain which came up caused,
the meeting to adjourn to large ware
room which had been secured on Augusta
street, in place of the New street head
quarters which had proved too small to
accommodate the crowd. The meeting
held by the Drys on the same night
was one Of the most remarkable ever held
in Stanton. There must have been over
thousand men and women in the Rink.
and On the platform were eleven ministers
of the gospel, white and colored, of the
city, with three more from places outside
the city. A Union prayer meeting held
at the white Methodist church had ad.
Journed in body to the Rink. On the
stand were the ministers Of the two Pres
byterian, the Methodist, Baptist, and
Lutheran churches Of the white congre-
cations, and the ministers of, we believe,
all the colored congregations. The meet
ing did not adjourn until after IL O'Clock.
After that hour the streets were alive for
some time with the music of the Staunton
colored band playing for the Drys, and
the Mt. Sidney band playing for the Vets.
EARLY IN THE FIELD-FREE BREAK
FAST AND LUNCH.
Some of the Drys staid at the Rink all
night. so as to be ready early in the morn
ming; for handbiIls had been issued prom
ising free breakfast to all from to
O'Clock election morning and free ianch
all day long at the Skating Rink.
At O'Clock Tuesday morning there was
prayer meeting largely attended, held by
the Digs in the Rink, and few minutes
later they manned the polling places with
their challengers. decorated with the blue
badges. Att same hour appeared the red
badges. There were also hacks standing
at the polls whose horses heads and drivers
whips were ornamented with red or blue
badges as the case might be.
ALL DAY PRAYER MEETING.
Just across the street from the I'd Ward
polling place is the Lutheran church, in
the basement of which mass prayer
meeting held in the interest of the Dry
cause commenced about O'Clock A. M,
and lasted all day.
AT the Rink number of ladies were
engaged in furnishing lunch of biscuit,
ham, hot coffee and so FORTH to all who
came.
POLLING THE VOTE.
The vote was poled rapidly, and by noon
about 800 votes polled. About 2 O'Clock
the Drys seemed to accept the fact that
the against License" ticket was behind,
and became visibly discouraged. 1t was
here that they showed mostly the need of
veterans around the polls. The news to
veteran worker around precinct as
early in the day as 2 o'clock, that his ticket
is be hind is only spur to stir him up to
a squirt in the afternoon, but with the Dry
workers it seemed to act as permanent
encouragement and many Of them left the
vicinity of the polls.
1t is. Of course. difficult to say with secret
ballot how vote is divided, but the gen.
eral impression is that the Drys succeeded
in more than dividing the colored vote
and the larger half that they got stuck to
them Loyalty to the end Knots of colored
men with blue badges and red badges
wrangling over colored voter was not
lnfrequent sight. The strength OF the
colored Dry vote, when we consider the
fact that the most prominent and active
Of their white political leaders and orga-
MIXERS we're enlisted with the Vets and
actively engaged at the polls for that
ticket, was quite remarkable.
THE RESULT.